Boomerang employees: why companies want former staff back

Rehiring former staff, known as ‘boomerang hiring’, has reached a new high. According to ADP Research, 35% of all new hires in the United States in March 2025 were returning employees, the highest share recorded since ADP started tracking this data in 2018.

The trend has grown steadily: this boomerang share was just 26% at its low point in March 2022, and has climbed every year since, reaching 31% in March 2024 before hitting 35% in 2025.

Employers have clearly changed their attitude. A UKG Workforce Institute survey found that 85% of HR professionals had received applications from former employees in the past five years, and 40% said their organisation had rehired about half of those applicants.

The tech and information sector shows the strongest concentration of boomerang hiring: nearly two-thirds of new hires in that sector in March 2025 were returning employees, roughly double the rate seen just a year earlier.

The strategy pays off for employers too: research shows boomerang employees become productive faster than completely new hires, score higher in performance reviews, and have a retention rate 44% higher over three years, all while saving companies significant recruitment costs.

Adapted from ADP Research and UKG Workforce Institute, 2025